Love! Valour! Compassion!

Eight gay men spend Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day in a remote house near NYC. Film follows their friendships and relationships. Previous posters have complained about the lack of character development but remember...the original play ran 3 1/2 hours! They had to cut out over an hour's worth of material to get a two hour film and the cutting does hurt. Still I like the film. The entire cast is good...even Jason Alexander. The setting is beautiful and the script is very good...but I saw the play so I was constantly remembering things they cut out. Ramon's (Randy Becker) part especially was chopped down. Still, the film shows a bunch of gay men dealing with AIDS, sex, love etc truthfully and with great humor. The best performances come from Alexander, Justin Kirk, John Glover and Randy Becker. Also the film has plenty of casual male nudity (especially Becker who is handsome and has a very nice body). Worth seeing...especially if you never saw the play.

I would die to see the play. I didn't want to see it at first because I'm not a fan of Jason Alexander but I must admit he did surprise me, who knew he could act (although he was trying a little hard to BE Nathan Lane). I cried through most or it and I'm not much of a crier so BE WARNED! IT IS A CHICK FLICK! but a damned good one.

I am saddened by the number of negative comments about this movie. Love! Valor! Compassion! is one of my favorite movies of all time. Not every movie has to be full of action and deep thinking to be good entertainment.

What makes this movie so enjoyable is the chance to see a gay men, who lead very different lives, interact with one another to build and maintain their friendships through good times and bad. I hope that I, too, will someday have a group of friends like that.

Jason Alexander is fantastic as the stereotypical Broadway play lover and his developing relationship with John Glover's English twin brother is precious. The characters of Perry and Arthur show a "normal", boring gay couple just going through life with each other enjoying growing old together -- a lifestyle many of us aspire to. And, Randy Becker isn't too difficult to look at, either!

Granted, there are places where the writing is uneven at best (the death of Bobby's sister, the hiding in the closet scene, for example), but viewers who enjoy a good story about friends who love and support each other without the expectation deep plot twists will enjoy this screenplay for what it is -- relaxing entertainment. Enjoy!

I have to wholehearted disagree that this film is disappointing. I found the characters interesting and deep. Yes - the gay men approach stereotypical roles in some instances, but they are developed over the course of the summer in a manner that mimics the boys in "Stand by Me". We see the changes in the relationships between nearly every pairing of the eight men. Some are in relationships; some were. Some hate each other; but they nearly all care about one another. This is the kind of movie that makes you reflect on your own human interactions. You don't have to be HIV+, a choreographer, a yuppie, a broadway queen, or even gay to see yourself in these characters. This is a fine exhibition of love, lust, friendship, and life.

Often it is very tricky to adapt a play, especially one of a rather long length, to the screen and keep the story and characters intact. Though I have not had the pleasure of seeing a theatrical production of this film, I do own the play and have read it numerous times. Although the film did suffer a tiny bit from some things being edited out, characters speaking directly to the audience, further character insight etc., it is still a wonderful film, full of superb acting and characters that you fall in love with.

The characters are brought to life with superb accuracy, due to the fact that all the actors, except Nathan Lane, reprise their roles that they held on the stage for about all of two years. And it shows that they have bonded as artists with both each other and their characters.

As with almost all films there were performances that personally stood out to me. John Glover shows the audience why he won the Tony Award for his performance. Playing twin brothers, 'John the Foul and James the Fair' showing the defination of range. The other actor that really stood out was the always brilliant Justin Kirk, playing the young, blind Bobby Brahms, showing why he won the OBIE Award for his spectacular performance. The cast also includes Stephen Spinella, two time Tony award winner for Tony Kushner's masterpiece "Angels in America", Jason Alexander, and many other actors that deserve much more recognition and fame than they currently have.

This is a beautiful film with precious characters that you will love.